Off body concealed carry is somewhat controversial. There are people that seem to treat it as if it’s the next best thing as just handing your gun to a criminal. And to be honest, there’s some potential truth to that. Still, if that’s the only way to carry a gun in your situation you have to make your choice. As with many things, the Devil is in the details.
Table of Contents
What is Off Body Carry, anyway?
Basically it means that your gun is somewhere that is not attached to your body.
- Purse.
- Briefcase.
- Messenger bag.
- Portfolio/planner.
- Vehicle.
All of these have one major downside: you can leave your gun behind. So yeah, you might just be giving your gun to a criminal if you forget to take your briefcase with you. This method does require more concentration than, say, IWB. And this is, of course, the major downside. Even the slightest lack of focus at the wrong time could lead to anything from a little embarrassment to someone getting hurt or killed with your gun. And that will be your responsibility.
Hey, I left out fanny pack holsters
You’ll notice that fanny pack isn’t on my list of off body options, even though many people do put it in that category. I don’t because it isn’t. I’ll go over it here just to explain why it isn’t off body.
First, why the hell are they called “fanny packs”? The pocket part is in front. Your fanny is not.
I left it off the list because the pack is attached to me. It is a belt that goes around my waist, just like my normal belt. It may not be in loops in my pants but it’s still attached. Therefore, it’s not off body.
It’s also really handy. Mine is a rather large example. 11.5″ w by 8″ h. It has room for a full size handgun in the pocket closest to me. I’ve tried carrying both my 5″ 1911 in it easily. My 3.8″ XD(M) works fine, and is the normal inhabitant of the pack these days. There is a front pocket that holds my phone, keys, and wallet. The middle pocket has elastic holders for up to four spare magazines.
This is a wonderful device for walking or hiking. I’ve found it somewhat less useful, but still functional, for biking. Since biking is done somewhat bent over (at least on my bike) it digs into me and affects my breathing. I can shift it around to my strong side a bit and it works, but makes the gun harder to get to. Still, see Rule #1.
As you can see in this picture, it’s just a normal looking fanny pack. Note the two releases, one on each side. One of them takes the belt off. The other releases the back pocket. Undo that release and either pull away from your body or slide your hand into the gap that’s now there. The gun is fully accessible at that point. With a little practice it’s fairly quick.
Also, note that my pack is a little beat up. I use it regularly.
Purse/briefcase
I’m kind of lumping these together. They can perform similar functions. I no longer carry a briefcase but when I did my then-girlfriend referred to at as “your purse.” I was never terribly far away from it. Of course, I didn’t carry a gun then so that wasn’t an issue.
Biggest advantage? No one expects a gun. A woman carrying a purse is normal. A man or woman with a briefcase is normal. A man with a purse? Well, I don’t judge. Still, that would make you stand out. I’m more of a “blend in” kind of guy, myself.
Two major downsides.
- You can leave it behind and won’t that be embarrassing if someone finds your gun.
- It isn’t that hard to take from you. You’re holding it in your hand and thieves tend to think there might be something valuable in it. Now, I’ve seen many purses worn with the strap across the body. That makes it much harder to steal. Although it depends on how strong the strap is, too. If it’s easy to break that mitigates some advantages of the cross body connection.
Messenger Bag
I’ll be honest; I’ve limited experience with these but I’ll forge on anyway. Most come with a strap that goes across the body, making it much harder to steal. In fact, if it has a solid, belt-like strap I’d pretty much put it in the same category as the fanny pack: not really off-body.
Well. As long as it’s attached. If you go into a building and take it off then suddenly it’s more or less a briefcase.
Portfolio/planner
Last time I worked in an office setting I had one of these. I did not carry a gun at the time so there was no gun in my planner. The thing was pretty much always with me. On the other hand, “pretty much” isn’t good enough. If you leave it at your desk or in a conference room who is going to find it? Someone who will just bring it to you? Or will it be someone who doesn’t know who it belongs to and looks through it to find a name?
The other problem I have with these: where’s the muzzle? You set it flat on the table or desk, yes? I can see you making sure it’s not pointed at someone when you sit down but people move. They walk around and shift their chairs. Someone may be in a room on the other side of the wall. Sooner or later you’re going to point your gun at something you don’t intend to shoot. That is a problem.
Vehicle
This a complicated one. There are so many options here that I did a post specifically for it.. I have seen car holsters that are custom fit in your console. Mounted in the car somehow via straps or screws. Even something improvised. I had a Crown Victoria P71 (the police version) for a while. The front seat had a built in pocket all along the front edge. My Shield went in there just fine in a pocket holster.
You do have some questions you have to answer:
- Who (or where) am I concealing from? Only people outside or will you have passengers you don’t want to see your gun?
- How often will I get out of my vehicle and how long will I be gone? When I check my PO box I’m walking 30 feet and will be gone less than a minute. When I’m going into a bar that’s a completely different situation.
- What is your potential threat axis? Do you need an off hand gun? I’m right-handed. In a carjacking situation that’s fine; right hand is what I want. But if I have an issue with a passenger then trying to use my right hand just gives them my gun; in that case I need a left hand gun.
Conclusion
I have to say that I’m not really a big fan of off body carry. Again, I don’t consider something that’s attached around your body by a sturdy belt of some kind to really be off body. If you are going to carry in something that’s not attached to you then you must remain conscious of where your gun is at all times and where it’s pointing.
